Easy Questions
by Marchling
Summary: Stand-alone companion to 'Easy Answers' - Dom's POV as he, Vince and Brian get in a bar fight that gives Brian a concussion. After, Dom is left to take care of Brian. Brian/Dom AU


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**Easy Questions**

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_**Summary:**__ Dom's POV as he, Vince and Brian get in a bar fight that gives Brian a concussion. Afterwards, Dom is left to take care of Brian._

_**Timeline:**__ Please assume that somehow Brian ended up in Mexico with Vince and Dom, doesn't matter how or when. Dom and Brian are, it will soon become obvious, together. AU is such a fun way to post things, don't you think?_

_**Disclaimer:**__ None of this is mine. The Fast and the Furious would have been way slashier if it was._

_**Rating:**__ PG-13 for language and a little violence. _

_**NOTE:**__ This story is a companion to '__**Easy Answers**__' which is the same events just in Brian's POV. This story expands a little more and it's all based off of Dom.

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Probably from that first, sunny day in the fourth grade that Dom had decided Vince was his best friend, he'd realized he was going to be spending a lot of his time pulling him out of whatever fight he'd gotten into.

It turned out to be pretty prophetic for a nine year old.

All he could be thankful for was that it wasn't Brian that Vince was beating on anymore. Not that Vince would dare do it, even if he wanted to anymore. Brian and Vince had gone from uneasy alliance to grudging respect and had settled into tentative friendship, five months after Brian had joined them in Mexico. Dom had settled it between them damn quick, telling Brian that Vince was just a hot head who didn't mean half of the shit he said but would have his back once Brian won his loyalty and then telling Vince that they both owed Brian for keeping his mouth shut after everything went down and reminding him that Brian had really only been doing his job.

Of course, Brian switching siblings and teams for Dom probably had a lot to do with Vince's newfound stance on beating up Brian, or rather _not_ beating up Brian. Once Mia was out of the picture and Vince wasn't able to scream about Brian being a cop (though he occasionally brought it up to Dom when he felt his friend wasn't paying enough attention to his input, which usually earned him a bloody nose), things had settled between them quick and easy, the way Dom wanted them to. Not only did he not want his pseudo-brother and his boyfriend fighting, he didn't need a fight in the ranks to stretch them thinner than they already were.

That was one of the reasons he'd dragged Vince away from the table of shady looking men that he'd been arguing with in his barely passable Spanish. They didn't look like they were the types of guys to take insults easily and between Vince's tendency to bite off more than he could chew and Brian, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, always seeming to end up the supposedly easy victim Dom would have had his hands full in a full-out fight. Not that Brian couldn't hold his own, but Dom didn't want him to have to. He also didn't want the lecture about how Brian didn't need Dom racing in to save him that he inevitably ended up with when he inevitably raced in to save him. He wasn't going to apologize for it either. Brian was his and he wasn't going to let anyone raise a hand to him.

They had driven four hours away from the town they'd settled in to get the parts that they needed for their next car order and by the end of the day all three were ready for a drink, dinner and bed. Apparently, stopping at a bar just outside of town for that drink had been a bad idea. Vince was blowing off too much steam and Dom could see things were about to go south.

Dom traded glances with Brian, who had been watching the 'conversation' though the mirror behind the bar the same as him. Brian rolled his eyes, intimately familiar with Vince's _sunny personality_.

He stood, making his way though the parted crowd and clapped a hand on Vince's shoulder. "We're leaving."

Vince turned to argue, but Dom fixed him with a look that Vince knew well enough. _Don't be a fucking idiot._

Dom nodded to the three men sitting at the table, usually that was enough to diffuse any situation. It hadn't taken long for his reputation to again precede him in Mexico, which was exactly how he liked it.

"Assholes," Vince muttered under his breath loud enough that only Dom heard it.

Brian had sauntered over to them, "God you're a charmer, Vince."

Half-heartedly, Vince reached out to cuff Brian on the back of his head. Brian ducked and laughed.

"All I want is my bed." Vince grumbled, referring to his room in the house that the three shared. Dom had deemed it safer, in case they needed to head out in a rush. Vince wasn't wildly pleased to be living with the 'lovebirds' but he certainly wasn't going to find his own place and risk not getting the call to run fast enough.

"Sounds good to me." Brian agreed, following Vince and Dom to the door. "If those parts had been less than pristine…" He trailed off, echoing all of their thoughts. The parts had been exactly what they needed, but that didn't mean it hadn't been a long day.

Dom should have noticed that the bar had gotten quieter behind them, as though the patrons were watching to see what would happen next, he should have heard the quiet scrape of the chairs and he definitely should have noticed someone walking up behind them just as Vince jokingly shoved Brian backwards behind him, in a rush to get out the door and home.

He definitely noticed when the leg of a chair crashed down on the side of Brian's head with a cracking sound so loud he'd be hearing it over and over again for weeks.

Both Dom and Vince whipped around, just in time to see one of the men that Vince had carelessly gotten into an insult match with breaking a chair over Brian's head. Brian looked dazed immediately, too out of it to even register what was going to be some intense pain when the fog cleared. He slumped to his knees, nearly crashing before Vince managed to get a grip on him. Blood already flecked Brian's blond hair.

Dom saw red, immediately. Later Vince and Brian agreed that he'd let out a yell of rage that made the other patrons dart out the back of the bar, just to escape his anger. All he knew was that he was all fists in seconds, the man that had hit Brian a bloody mess before he could even gloat about having hurt his lover. His friends went down easily, but Dom kept kicking.

It was only Vince's voice that stopped him, and even then it took him a while to register the words.

"Dom! Fuck, Dom stop." Vince yelled, a little frantic, "Dom, get over here. Brian's bleeding..."

It was the _Brian's bleeding… _that got him.

Immediately, Dom pulled back, paying no mind to the man moaning on the ground. Vince hadn't moved from where Brian had been hit, but he had taken the shirt he had over his wifebeater off and had it pressed to Brian's head. It was already soaked with blood.

Brian's eyes were closed and for a split, awful, second Dom was sure that he'd been beating some waste of space while his lover had been dying.

"He only passed out a few minutes ago." Vince explained, seeing the look on Dom's face.

Dom kneeled next to Brian, cupping his head on one hand and pulling Vince's hand from the shirt pressed to the wound. He only uncovered it a second, just to see. Blood gushed forth so quickly he could barely get a good look. "Get the car."

Vince was gone in a second, without a word.

"Brian?" Dom called, leaning into golden form lying on the dirty ground. "Bri, wake up."

He wasn't sure if it was his voice or that Brian had been drifting in and out anyway, but his eyes fluttered open and his arms moved like he was going to try to sit up.

"Don't…" Dom said, but it was too late.

Even that little movement seemed to amplify whatever pain Brian was in. He moaned and Dom felt something inside of him clench at the sound.

"Dom, Dom, I…" Brian whispered, face twisted in pain.

"Shhh," Dom soothed, not caring who saw him with Brian now. They tried to keep what was between them quiet when they were out in public, not because they weren't proud of their relationship, but because things were different in Mexico and they already had more trouble than they could handle. "We're going to take you to a doctor, but you need to lay still."

Brian stared at him, blinking rapidly. The whole side of his face was covered in the blood that steadily leaked out of his wound and down out of the saturated shirt. "Everything's red…" He said, sounding both awed and confused.

Dom used the corner of his own shirt to wipe the blood away from Brian's eyes, but didn't say anything for a minute, not sure if he could trust his voice. It wasn't until Brian's eyes fluttered, as if to go to sleep, that he spoke again. "Don't close your eyes, babe." He commanded, worried that if Brian fell asleep he'd never wake back up.

Obligingly, Brian didn't let them close and watched Dom instead. He didn't look like he was in pain anymore, but that didn't reassure Dom.

Out of nowhere - _Fuck Dom, keep your guard up, if those assholes come back… - _Vince ran through the door to the bar. "Got the car. Can he walk?"

Dom didn't bother asking. Even if he could get Brian upright and walking, he doubted the blond could walk a straight line even with Dom's help. Instead, he leaned in close to Brian again, "I'm gonna carry you, don't fall asleep."

"Tired…" Brian whispered. That he didn't even protest being carried, especially considering how touchy Dom always thought he was about being thought of as the weaker one between them, said even more than the trembling, whispered confession about being tired, even though he clearly wanted to do as Dom asked and stay awake.

"I know, Brian, I know, but you need to stay awake." Dom said, sliding his hands behind Brian's back and knees. "Please."

He lifted Brian up, trying to ignore the gasp the movement provoked. Vince hovered beside him, hands reaching out to the now-useless shirt pressed to Brian's head. A young waitress came out from beside the bar. "Por favor… take it… limpia." She said, holding out a towel. _Please, take it, clean…_

Vince didn't hesitate, grabbing the towel from her without much more than a nod of thanks and pressing it to Brian's head. Between the sudden movement that Dom was forcing on him and the harsh stinging pain that the towel brought, there was no way Brian was going to stay awake. He moaned again and passed out in Dom's arms.

"Brian?" Dom asked, eyes trained on Brian's. His lover didn't say anything and Dom didn't waste any time.

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They had spent four hours in the clinic with Brian half-conscious. Three of those hours Dom paced the waiting room, waiting to hear anything about Brian and ignoring Vince's attempts to get him to sit.

They'd gotten Brian to a nearby clinic in record time, a few of the people who'd watched the fight pointing them in the right direction but keeping their distance from Dom. Vince said that they were even crossing themselves after they drove away. He could maybe understand that. He'd really messed those guys up, justifiably, and covered in Brian's blood with a golden haired white boy in his arms he'd probably looked otherworldly to them. Brian usually got that sort of reaction, especially considering they were sticking to more rural towns. Brian was the first blond some people had ever seen in real life.

Once they were in the clinic, the nurse/receptionist had taken one look at either Brian in all his bloodsoaked glory or Dom, who was by then willing to kill to get Brian some help and had immediately led them inside. Quickly, Dom had explained the situation, how long Brian had been unconscious for and his allergy to penicillin before he'd been forced to hand Brian over.

It had been torture waiting for them to come out and even tell him if Brian was in some coma or not. Finally, a doctor had emerged, covered in less blood than Dom, but smeared with it nonetheless. He said that Brian had a concussion (_of course_), head wounds bled a lot (_they knew that_), they weren't keeping him overnight (_Mexico…_) and that he should be fine.

That was, provided he got woken up every hour and checked for confusion and disorientation. Any problems waking him or signs that Brian wasn't completely with them and he was to be returned to the clinic immediately.

Granted, Dom and Vince had _enjoyed_ quite a few concussions through the years, but it was still a little bit of a surprise that Brian was being allowed home. He had bled _a lot_.

Still, even when Dom asked about this, the doctor had gently but firmly repeated that it was normal. He then went over what Dom was supposed to do when he woke Brian up, namely ask him questions that should be obvious. No tricks, nothing too complicated, since he was going to be tired, but things that Brian should have no issue answering. The doctor suggested Brian's name and Dom had been forced to kick Vince when the idiot snorted.

So what if conventional couples knew each other's real names right off the line? Conventional wasn't his style.

Brian was brought out, Vince and Dom managed to load him into the car when Brian had stubbornly refused to let Dom just carry him to it and then they were home.

Now, sitting in the dim room with a sleeping, concussed boyfriend staring at the green numbers on the clock change ever so slowly, Dom was exhausted. No way was he falling asleep, even though Vince had offered to trade with him for a while, not when Brian needed him.

He gently ran his fingers though Brian's hair, frowning at the caked in blood. The nurse at the clinic had tried to get some of it out of Brian's hair, but there was only so much she could've accomplished.

The clock changed to the next hour and Dom sighed, letting his hand slip down to Brian's shoulder. He shook him, carefully, and called, "Brian, I need you to wake up."

Brian frowned a little, but didn't move or wake up at all. At least he wasn't so far under that Dom wouldn't be able to get him back, Dom noticed sardonically.

"_Brian… Brian, wake up." _

This time, he got what he wanted. Brian slowly opened his eyes and Dom wished it was bright enough to check and see if his pupils were even. He knew from first-hand knowledge that bright light would hurt Brian's already hurting head, so he didn't turn the lights up any more than they were.

Brian looked over at him and smiled, "Hi,"

He was glad Brian recognized him so easily. Dom wasn't one to freak out, full stop, especially over someone just waking up, but if Brian had seemed confused to see him sitting beside him, he'd of dragged him right back to that doctor. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Brian O'Connor."

At the first right answer, Dom let himself relax a little. No slurring, no hesitation, just Brian's name. He watched Brian's face carefully and he could see the pain. "How old are you?"

Brian shifted in the bed and Dom wasn't sure if he was trying to get up or if he was just hurting. One thing he knew for sure was that it wasn't a good idea. Brian seemed to realize it too, even as he groaned out his answer, "Twenty-five."

Dom put his hand over Brian's chest and could feel Brian's heart beating underneath his hand. "Don't get up," He said. Brian didn't say anything right away, clearly lost in a wash of pain. Dom felt himself tense back up a little, but he didn't say anything until Brian's eyes cleared a little. "Where are we?"

Brian didn't answer right away and Dom wasn't sure if he should have asked him a question again so soon after he'd obviously gotten himself mixed up with pain. Brian's eyes started moving around the room and Dom got a little worried, even though Brian answered correctly, "Our room."

Did Brian really know that or did he need to look around to guess? "Our room where?" He pressed, determined to be sure that Brian wasn't confused.

"Mexico." He answered earnestly, as though he could read Dom's worry. He probably could. Dom relaxed, leaning back in his chair, sure that he was going to have to count tonight as a workout. Letty had been _work_, but of the completely different sort. Sometimes though, loving Brian made him feel exhausted all the same. That was probably just how he was wired.

"What's the date?" He asked. Brian didn't respond, "Brian?"

His lover had a look on his face that Dom's head knew was 'lost in thought' but his heart was telling him was 'confused and disoriented – _hurt'_ and he was trying to keep himself from overreacting. "Brian?" He asked again, louder this time. He reached his hand out to Brian's face and tilted the lampshade towards them a little, so the light wasn't as obscured.

Brian's eyes snapped to his, "Yeah?"

"You hearing me?" Dom asked as he pulled Brian's head to the side towards the light. He could see that it hurt him, but there was no way around it. Brian's pupils reacted evenly to the light, the black going down to a pinprick. Everything was doing what it needed to be doing.

"Sorry," Brian apologized, "Wasn't listening. I'm okay."

_You're not, cara, I should have been paying more attention…_ Dom knew that saying what he thought would only make Brian feel unnecessarily guilty, so he didn't say it at all. His jaw clenched and though he hadn't meant for it to, he could see Brian's eyes take the unconscious gesture in. It wasn't the time to talk about it, so he repeated his question instead. "What day is it?"

"April 10th." Brian responded immediately. Dom hadn't said anything, but Brian still looked guilty for making him worry anymore. Brian could have his leg cut off and he'd still tell Dom that it wasn't so bad, just to make him not worry. In the beginning of their _thing_, Dom thought he was putting up this brave, _nothing can hurt me_ face because he was afraid of being the 'girl' in the relationship. Like if he ever acted vulnerable then there was something wrong with him. It had pissed Dom off, like Brian wasn't letting them have a real relationship or that he thought that Dom taking care of him made him something less. Even if taking care of the people he loved wasn't written into his DNA as the way to be, it would have made him mad.

The weird, only-there-sometimes tension this brought on came to a head over something pretty minor. Brian had just stubbed his toe, but when Dom asked, just teasing, if Brian wanted a kiss and Brian had shrugged it off, something in Dom had snapped.

He felt like a dick later, when Brian's bewildered protests registered in his head. Brian wasn't keeping him at a distance because of some sense of male pride, it was because he so completely didn't realize that care and worry were part of being a family, or that he was worthy of being in a family. Dom was sure he'd never meet Brian's parents in this life, but if he met up with them in hell…

Brian still looked guilty, even though he had no reason to be. He didn't need Dom's shit layered on him now, what he needed was more sleep. Dom leaned in again, but this time got so close there was barely an inch between him and Brian. "Who do you love?" He asked.

Brian angled his head up to touch their lips together. Dom allowed the kiss, weak fuck that he was, even though Brian was injured. His hand slid under Brian's head to keep him from straining. Gently, he broke the kiss down into smaller ones, breathing against Brian's lips for a moment.

"_You."_

Dom smiled at the answer. "Guess you're lucid enough."

Brian blinked sleepily while Dom slid his hand back out from under his head. "I don't know if that sort of question was what that Doctor had in mind when he asked you to wake me up every hour."

The blond was obviously still exhausted. Dom slid back off of the bed, not trusting himself to stand guard and wake Brian up as he needed if he laid down beside him - as tempting as that was. Once he was in his own seat, he answered Brian, "He said something easy, something you should know no matter what."

It was supposed to be a joke, but Dom didn't even bother finding some sort of inflection or anything to make it sound that way. Brian seemed to get it though, and agreed, "Yeah…"

Dom quirked a smile at him again. "Go back to sleep," He told Brian, purposefully lowering his voice, "I'll be here."

There was no answer and Dom wasn't even sure if Brian had heard him. Still, he trusted Dom enough to fall asleep again, and that was really all that mattered.

"I have to keep a better eye on you, Bri." Dom whispered… it was a damn good thing he shaved his head, the better to get rid of any grays.

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_I hope everyone enjoyed the story! If you're looking for more Fast & Furious stories, please make sure to let me know!_

**_Reviews are love._**


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